Alisha Hanlin, 27, has worked in worked in several area restaurants. This year, she started her own food-related business. “I work at Safron Bakery (east of Hagerstown) for Albert Elmerraji,” she said. “I started Pressed Flour as a business in September. My goods are available in Shepherdstown at the Blue Moon Café and at Hypnocoffee. I also do custom cake, cupcake, pie, and pastry platter orders at the retail level, from weddings to baby showers to just because.” Hanlin said she will soon launch a web page for Press Flour.

While the economy has continued to tumble into turmoil, the general public has been pinching their pennies and trading take-out for eat-at-home dinners - until now. REACH Caregivers of Hagerstown will be hosting the 2009 Taste of the Town Benefit and Auction from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at Hagerstown Community College's Athletic, Recreational and Community Center (ARCC). The event includes samplings of specialty dishes from about two dozen local restaurants and eateries, two of which are new to this year's benefit.

Its fall and the season for including winter squash in your menus. Winter squash are easy to prepare and a healthy addition to any meal. Winter squash is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Fat free, cholesterol free and sodium free, a 1/2 cup of cooked winter squash only has 40 calories. Unlike summer squash, winter squash are picked when they are fully mature. They have a thick, inedible skin that provides protective covering and allows for a long, storage life.

They may be a little worse for the weather, a bit blistered, knurled or soiled, but don't be misled. Winter squash and root vegetables are a storehouse of complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. These vegetables are widely available at low cost in the produce aisles of your favorite grocery store. cont. from lifestyle Among root vegetables, carrots and sweet potatoes are most famous for their vitamin A or beta-carotene content. One medium carrot provides more than twice the amount of vitamin A recommended daily.

Two recipes offer very different but equally stylish risottos, suitable for family dining or for entertaining guests. Risotto with Butternut Squash, Lobster and Sage is a dish to prepare as the days get shorter and the air turns crisp. This beautiful risotto combines the bounty of autumn with lobster. Serve it with a green salad, a loaf of bread and a rich white wine for an easy, elegant meal. [cont. from lifestyle ] No, Strawberry Risotto is not dessert! An adventurous, new-Italian twist on classic risotto, it actually is more savory than sweet, with the barest hint of strawberry flavor.

For many people, religious or not, Easter Sunday dinner means ham. Perhaps some potatoes and beans on the side. We asked two area chefs to share some side-dish ideas for holiday meals like Easter or Christmas dinner. Jeromy Kimple, executive chef of Aqua 103 in Hagerstown, shared a recipe for butternut squash gratin that he made for a Christmas meal about five years ago when visiting his in-laws in Kentucky. His in-laws were more accustomed to zucchini and yellow squash.

Alisha Hanlin, 27, has worked in worked in several area restaurants. This year, she started her own food-related business. “I work at Safron Bakery (east of Hagerstown) for Albert Elmerraji,” she said. “I started Pressed Flour as a business in September. My goods are available in Shepherdstown at the Blue Moon Café and at Hypnocoffee. I also do custom cake, cupcake, pie, and pastry platter orders at the retail level, from weddings to baby showers to just because.” Hanlin said she will soon launch a web page for Press Flour.

Its fall and the season for including winter squash in your menus. Winter squash are easy to prepare and a healthy addition to any meal. Winter squash is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Fat free, cholesterol free and sodium free, a 1/2 cup of cooked winter squash only has 40 calories. Unlike summer squash, winter squash are picked when they are fully mature. They have a thick, inedible skin that provides protective covering and allows for a long, storage life.

Dr. Alissa Harris cooked up an idea, sparked by a dream, to bring locally grown foods to the needy in parts of Jefferson County, W.Va. She turned that idea into a reality when she and a group of friends started the SouperNatural Kitchen and hosted their first SouperTuesday dinner in January at the Bolivar (W.Va.) Community Center. Harris said approximately 30 tickets were sold for the inaugural event. Harris, a chiropractor, analyzes and keeps journals about her nighttime visions, said she had a dream in November in which she was pushing a cart.

While the economy has continued to tumble into turmoil, the general public has been pinching their pennies and trading take-out for eat-at-home dinners - until now. REACH Caregivers of Hagerstown will be hosting the 2009 Taste of the Town Benefit and Auction from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at Hagerstown Community College's Athletic, Recreational and Community Center (ARCC). The event includes samplings of specialty dishes from about two dozen local restaurants and eateries, two of which are new to this year's benefit.

For many people, religious or not, Easter Sunday dinner means ham. Perhaps some potatoes and beans on the side. We asked two area chefs to share some side-dish ideas for holiday meals like Easter or Christmas dinner. Jeromy Kimple, executive chef of Aqua 103 in Hagerstown, shared a recipe for butternut squash gratin that he made for a Christmas meal about five years ago when visiting his in-laws in Kentucky. His in-laws were more accustomed to zucchini and yellow squash.

They may be a little worse for the weather, a bit blistered, knurled or soiled, but don't be misled. Winter squash and root vegetables are a storehouse of complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. These vegetables are widely available at low cost in the produce aisles of your favorite grocery store. cont. from lifestyle Among root vegetables, carrots and sweet potatoes are most famous for their vitamin A or beta-carotene content. One medium carrot provides more than twice the amount of vitamin A recommended daily.

Two recipes offer very different but equally stylish risottos, suitable for family dining or for entertaining guests. Risotto with Butternut Squash, Lobster and Sage is a dish to prepare as the days get shorter and the air turns crisp. This beautiful risotto combines the bounty of autumn with lobster. Serve it with a green salad, a loaf of bread and a rich white wine for an easy, elegant meal. [cont. from lifestyle ] No, Strawberry Risotto is not dessert! An adventurous, new-Italian twist on classic risotto, it actually is more savory than sweet, with the barest hint of strawberry flavor.